Riding the banana in Cuba!

http://www.cuba.tc/pic/CuGuardalavacaMain.jpg

Happy Holidays from Miami

coo-coo-cachoo

My friday here is sitting, relaxing, and reading about articles such as this...

http://www.gadling.com/2009/08/04/w-fort-lauderdale-saves-turtles-from-suicide/

Next summer vacation

Ever heard of Pender Cove?  Next ultimate summer sailing vacation in Canada.......I would love to come back. 

I am going to Vancouver tomorrow!  Biggest city since I left.  Who wants to go shopping on Robson?  San Juan Islands  Friday Harbor the following day and Seattle!!!

Vancouver Island

Almost there!!!!  We docked yesterday on the north end of Vancouver Island in Port Hardy....or should I say Port Hardly, the only thing here is a rancid smell of dead carcas!  It is soooo terrible. We get to leave tomorrow and will be out for a few days with some guests then making our way back to Seattle.  I'm expected to be back and out of a job around the 25th!  I cant wait to see my friends and family in Oregon for a little while then off to Maui with the girls for Danielles's wedding!

Can you believe the store is called Overweities! haha, this is a funny little place.  I can't express how much I want to be back.  For me, when I see the light at the end of the tunnel I get so anxious for the finish line.  I am almost there....1 week countdown.

temp home for the month

August 28, 2010

I am still here in Good ol Petersburg using the internet at the local library.  I feel like I have been here forever but still seem to find something new to do every day.  Every town, big or small, is what you make of it.  I am certainly ready to get out of here and head back down to Seattle and some civilization.  We have guests coming next week then we will start heading back down. 

Flating Glacier Ice off LeConte Glacier

Alaskan Cocktail  = Glacier Ice and Scotch

This has been an experience of a lifetime and I am so thankful for this seclusion, I think everyone needs to experience it.  Slow, simple, easy. 

Herring for bait

Halibut - Sorry for the blood bath

Here are some photos since we got here.  Jordan I am rented a car and got to explore the island….all 32 miles of road:o)  It only took us 5 hours to drive, hike a couple of hours before we ran out of things to do.  It was nice to get off the boat and drive a car!  I really have taken that for granted!  This place is lush, green, and alive.  

Dark Tannic Rivers run throughout Alaska

The three lakes hike was unbelievable.  The trail is all boardwalk!  The ground is so wet and boggy that there is no way there could be that path without it.  We ran into some local forest service kids doing maintence on it and got the whole scoop and were able to thank them for such a wonderful trail. All of the wood is brought in by a helicopter.  It looked like a lot of work.  

I learned last night at the pub that these guys would pack up outboard motors for those row boats and inner tube behind it! haha, good ol red neck fun.  

Back down the road

Beaver Pond

Craig to Petersburg, El Capitan Again....

I cannot tell you the beauty of the emerald green water up here below the massive snow covered peaks and hillsides packed full of greenery.  The sun is out and shimmering on this scene.  We got out of the fog and rain of Craig, about 80 miles south, and started making our way up to Petersberg.  Our first night we stopped for a striking fishing adventure at “Hole in the Wall”.  Our mothership, Anchor W, tows a little Eagle Craft welded fishing boat that we can take out.  So we anchored up at a place called Hole in the Wall and took the boat for a go.  Brook, the first mate, has a friend that is familiar with the area and told us about all the fish here.  The second we pulled in the boys were off to give it a go.  With the sun setting I decided for a puzzle instead.  When they came back they had the biggest fish I have ever seen!  This King Salmon was so fat it was hard to pick up.  A 45lb fish along with a few nice silvers, or Coho.  We celebrated with some music and a fish cleaning party.  Just us in the middle of nowhere, it is a pretty cool experience.  Besides our hangovers we were excited to get back out there that next morning.  Brook, Captain Rob and I headed out.  Just a few miles from the open ocean we were among commercial trollers/sainters and 30-40 sport boats all on the Coho (Silver) and King Salmon run.  Almost at our limits and out of bait we headed in with a good load.  3 Kings and about 10 Silvers.  Remember that you have to clean what you catch so we were okay with not getting more.  That was only one day, the rest of the time we have been bringing in a few here and a few there along with Dungeness crab.

THE KING!

Coho Salmon

Captain Rob and his catch

Crab Cleaning, Onward to Petersburg

There really hasn’t been much else to do and we are just waiting for some more guests to get up here on the boat.  Craig was pretty boring, but the most action we had seen in a while.  Besides fishing we rented movies, went to the community pool, did some food shopping, and even got to go for a drive to some local rivers to do some fly fishing.  We have been pretty lucky as crew, but this doesn’t always happen on other boats.  An easy season to soak in. 

Jordan in the Galley, Crab Feast

After hole in the wall we stopped back in to see our new good friends at El Capitan Fishing Lodge.  The family there is so hospitiple and has all of the right amenities, darts, pool, and libations.  I am sure that you heard about Senetar Stevens fatal Otter Plane crash.  Every year he had a group of people to this lodge and was supposed to be coming in that very next day.  It was very sad to be directly related to the incident and the mood at the lodge was pretty gray.  They felt as though they lost a friend and a very good man.  The money from that week will be donated by the lodge to a fund for the accident. 

Sunset over Sarkar Cove, El Capitan Fishing Lodge

Here in these islands the tides can be pretty extreme.  When you are navigating your way through you have to have a good idea where the water is moving.  If you are in a narrow enough passage and the water is moving against you it is almost like you are going uphill or up a river, if the tide is ebbing then it is the opposite, you are being pushed.  The currents are strong and some of the water can be treacherous if you don’t pay attention.  Once we had high tide that next morning we pulled our anchor and made our way north through the El Capitan passage.  Being such a big boat and towing we wanted to have as much water as possible.  The narrowest part of the passage was only about 40 feet.  They had dug it out to make it passable.  With not a soul in sight, except for your friendly little sea lion we made our way through, navigating the channel markers, and the crystal clear water.  The sun was shining and I felt like I was in heaven.  There were huge mountains coming out of the horizon and a change of scenery to where we had been venturing the last couple of weeks.

Narrow El Capitan Passage

El Capitan Passage Wilderness

Petersburg is a relief to be at.  It is a darling little Norweigen fishing village.  I really think they have always had great planning and building, this town was done right.  It is really small but has a great feel to it.  We have views of Glaciers and wild peaks.  One in particular is called the Devils thumb, a spire rising up to about 10,000 ft….I’m guessing.  The sun sets right over the mountains and ends everyday with a blessing.  There is a large fish processing plant here, which brings in a lot of fishing boats and keeps this economy going.  I have been talking to a couple of the fishing boats and learning a little bit about the business.  Last night we pulled in behind a huge crabber that you would see on the Deadliest catch, the Nordic Express.  They are only crabbing in the winter so they use their summers to be a hub for the fishing boats out in the hot spots.  They will go out and anchor and boats will come and offload to them so they can keep fishing.  He had thousands of pounds of salmon iced down ready to offload.  It was a big boat drawing about 16 feet, im not really sure of the length, 200 feet.

So, I will just be here for the next little while, scronging the local shops, and trying to make it to the mountains for a nice little hike.  We did a big washdown on the inside and outside of the boat today so we are good to sit until we need to.  We will also be fishing for halibut and maybe some prawns for a change.  There is also a huge glacier here that we might adventure too.  I am thankful I can take this whole experience in.  Guests or not, the adventure would be the same.  Where else can the scenery out your window change almost daily?  Wrap your head around that.  I just looked out and saw a bald eagle....  

Sea Otter Wave

Marble Pools

El Capitan Lodge

www.elcapitanlodge.com


We are really lucking out on the weather, it must be a little over 70 and sunny!  We are outside of this place and they are nice enough to let us use the internet and hopefully the bar tonight.  It is so great we are staying here for a few days.  Lots of Sea Ottter, Whales, and fish.  I didnt get to go with everyone to the caves today, they sound really cool..  Ill share the report from the guests to you.  Here at the lodge im happy just getting off the boat, It gets a little small out there.  The fishing boats are coming back, going to go check out their catch.

Heading up to waterfall and el capitan passage for fishing and caves! In petersburg sunday for new guests. 15 salmon yesterday...1 crab.

Today i had a once in a lifetime experience with the haida tribe in hydaburg, ak. Smoked salmon, new totem poles, and history of the people!

More AK!

We are heading out tomorrow for the sw tip of Prince of Wales Island tomorrow morning then back north to Craig, Alaska where we will be spending the next couple of weeks with our guests tooling around, fishing, and kayaking.

Ketchican has been really fun and a good welcoming up here. Got to do some fly fishing yesterday and non-stop action from the sea planes coming and going from the dock.  Its only 600 for an hour......haha, wish my pockets were that deep:o)

Keep posted!

Here are our engines, pretty crazy

Some photos

 My parents came to see me in Seattle!!  It was so great to see them after my trip from Florida.  Cousins Julie and Nicole were there too!  They came to check out my new ride.

ONE DAY IN NEW YORK

Made it from Fort Lauderdale to New York in 4 days on the boat, it was good to see the statue!  Let freedom ring!  I then had to fly out that next morning to Seattle to start my new job.  It was kind of nuts.

i miss t---:o(

OFF AGAIN!

I know its been hard keeping up with Taylor and I lately and it sure has been fun traveling all around.  Some of the time I don't even know where I am and what day it is!  Last month I was in Florida now I'm in Alaska!  What???!?!?!!?  Its kind of a trip!  I got to spend some more time with Taylor in Florida and got Anticipation back in ship shape.  We spent a few weeks getting everything put together after the big paint job they did on the hull.  It was then ready for its big summer up in the northeast.  Things weren't really panning out to be together for the summer so we started looking for some other opportunities.  Taylor ended up finding a job for me on craigslist for a Stewardess going up to Alaska all summer.  I sent in my resume, talked to the crew on a phone a few times and now I'm in Alaska!  Life sure is funny.  It was a little disapointing not to be able to be with Taylor but its only for a few months and I just couldn't pass this one up.  So they flew me out to Seattle and I started my new position.  Our main goal is to have fun, catch some fish, and make the family happy.  There will be several groups coming in and out over the summer and lots of adventure for all.  It has always been a dream of mine to make it up here to AK and it feels really good to be here.

We had a great trip up through British Columbia.  It is so nice to see the huge pine trees and mountains that I have missed.  The northwest is unlike any other place and I feel like I am back home.  Now I am really really far north and it gets wilder and wilder.  We have yet to see a bear but there have been tons of Bald Eagles and Salmon, a Humpback Whale, and Orcas.  Everyday is exciting to be in gods country.  It is so remote and we are accessing places that only one could on a boat.  Not ruffing it either....we have a chef.  Haha, his name is Jordan and he has been making us a couple of great meals every day.  So I'm having a good time and really excited for the next couple of months.  I will try to keep updating you guys what is going on, but have a feeling it won't be very often.  Our crew is solid, the boat is beautiful, and I am living my dream.

Spring is here in Oregon!

The Cizcek girls and I had an amazing weekend at the coast at Pacific City, Oregon.  There wasn't really any swell but fun knee high waves with temperatures in the 70's!  No...not the water, that was more like an ice bath.  Although it is a lot warmer than it was this winter.  Bring your booties, gloves, and a thick wetsuit.  Shelly and Lee are always killing it.  They aren't only great people, but very talented in anything they do.  All the boys are blown away that they ride better than they do.  Cute and ambitious.....I love it!

Throughout the day, there was plenty of food, wine, and sun to go around.  We hiked to the side of the sand dune to find a couple of grey whales and lots of starfish and other creatures.  It was a nice way to be welcomed home. 

At the rv park there they rent these awesome little cabins that are a steel if you go with a group of people.  They sleep 6 and on the week days they are only 60 bucks.  They are super cozy and a lot of fun with a camp fire and a good day on the beach.

Bring on summer!

www.capekiwandarvresort.com

Happy fifth of may

Last Sunset - Back in the States

We made it to Florida! My little sister, Shelby, and Taylors life long best friend Thayer met us in St. Johns and joined us for the boat trip back up to Florida. We are just getting situated here for some relaxation and some TLC on the boat in Fort Lauderdale. Florida is not my favorite place on earth but when I think about how I got there its all worth it.

The Crew - California to Florida

Coming up from the Caribbean we had a run of about 700 miles before stopping for gas at a little Island in the Bahamas named Rum Cay. It seemed almost inhabited with only 50 year round people that live there. There were white sand beaches and the bluest water I have ever seen. We started off the morning with some snorkeling and I just had a gut feeling there were sharks around. Later that afternoon I was proved correct. Once we tied up they were certainly creeping around especially while the fishing boats were cleaning up their catch. It was a really cool site to see.

Bobby is the owner of the island and welcomed us with fresh conk salad, an amazing fish dinner, and an offer to surf and paddle board the following day. We were in heaven. This place felt like a dream, I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a rad surf trip.  Bring your bug spray, a tent, and line up a truck (if possible) There are great little reef breaks all over. It was one of the coolest 24 hours I have ever spent.

Another Amazing Catch - Sushi time!

April 1, 2010

We were brought back to a simple reality yesterday in that today was Taylor’s birthday. Things do go on, day by day, just as they should although I have felt as if time has stood still and the world has stopped turning. It is all so picturesque, you feel like you are in a dream. Why I am here and what I am doing are very simple questions I have been asking myself lately, it is all too beautiful to believe.

It isn’t as though we are doing nothing; we are working quite hard to overshoot all of our expectations. The owner and his wife are here on the boat and I am learning and watching the boys, Taylor and Dan, do their work trying to pick up on what to do. This industry is just like caretaking or if you want to put it, housekeeping. Every little detail of the day must be thought out and executed. No putting things off, just doing it, in the moment. These people are really wonderful and I respect them in many ways. One in how they have treated Taylor over the years and how humble and honest they are.

In a few days we are expecting their 5 children and 15 grandchildren to join us in St. Johns. I am excited for the week of fun, touring, and family. We have a hard job ahead of us of overseeing this large family to make sure they have a great time and to be there whenever they need an extra hand.

In between I will be turtle watching, working on my tan, and trying to snap out of this dream, remembering that it is a reality. Taylor had a great birthday yesterday and life is looking good. This endeavor is one to remember.